Stevia

(Stevia rebaudiana) A hard-to-find herb that is
grown for the famous Stevia leaves which, when
dried, are used to sweeten drinks and desserts.
Much sweeter than sugar; stevia powder is
reported to be 300 times sweeter! Not winter-
hardy, except in zones 8-10. From Brazil and
Paraguay. The chemical companies who make
artificial sweeteners hate this plant and have
tried to make it illegal. But I just love it!

This was my first time attempting to germinate stevia seeds. Reading around on the internet, it sounded like it would be nearly impossible or at best very poor germination rate. I ordered two packs of 15 seeds. Each came with 19 seeds. I planted a total of 38 seeds, and 35 germinated within only 6 days. That is excellent for any type of seed that I know of. I even had 5 seeds germinate after only 3 days. I would highly recommend these seeds especially after reading other horror stories around the internet.

I had to grow these for a class. I have never had a plant survive...I bought a light and a little starter dirt kit. Watered everyday. After three weeks I saw little seeds opening. I planted in September but I kept them inside. Now in December one of my 4 surviving plants is turning into a bush. Once we started eating it, it stated growing like crazy. They are very sweet. My 5 yr old asks for leaves for dessert sometimes lol ...you get used to the after taste after a while

I had read that stevia is quite difficult to germinate, however I haven't had that problem! All I did was put all the seeds in potting soil inside a 3 inch peat pot, watered thoroughly, and covered completely with plastic wrap. I would only add water when the peat pot seemed dry. As soon as I saw a sprout I removed the plastic and so far they seem to be doing great!! I am letting the soil dry out between watering according to the instructions on the seed packet, and I have seen another new sprout. Overall it was actually super easy to get them to sprout, just be willing to give them a couple weeks or more. Thanks again baker creek for another wonderful purchase :)